Animal Instinct
by Neko-chan -Silvered Tongue
Summary: Yami no Bakura muses about one very important aspect of human life: Morality. Does morality even play a role in human existence? Ryou asks him a question—should he really have been THAT surprised with the answer?
1. Animal

Animal Instinct

By: Neko-chan

  
  
  
  


Genre: Angst/Psychological--mainly psychological-based

Rating: Basically from PG to PG-13

----Yami no Bakura P.O.V.

Summary: Yami no Bakura muses about one very important aspect of human life: Morality. Does morality even play a role in human existence? Ryou asks him a question--should he really have been THAT surprised with the answer?

  
  


DISCLAIMER: Neko-chan doesn't own, though she wishes that she does. The end.

  
  
  
  
  
  


~ * ~

  
  


Emptiness and echoes... Dark, dark, dark... Alone for so many years, losing track of time and all that goes on in the world around you. Sometimes losing track of who _you_ are. Who you are, were, will be--will there ever be a 'will be'? Not knowing...

Darkness filled will dead people--mutilated, tortured, torn bodies. Blood and flesh fill the air with sweet and not-so-sweet scent. The taste... Cherries in my mouth. Food.

This isn't very human, now is it?

~ ~ ~

  
  


I may have been trapped in the Sennen Ring for many, many years--but that doesn't mean that I was deaf, dumb, and blind. Though trapped in an endless expanse of oblivion, I could still hear things that went on in the mortal realm, sometimes a heartbeat away from my Soul Room. I could hear the changes that went on--in science, in religion, in every aspect of human life. I've been able to hear (and learn) so many things while trapped in the Sennen Ring. Sometimes I wonder if that was what kept me from going insane--sometimes I wonder if it _hadn't_ kept me from going insane. Who knows? I don't--and I don't give a damn, anyway.

So many periods of history... The world has really changed from when I was alive. (Have over three thousand years truly passed from the time that I died to now?)

In so many ways and so many aspects, human existence is bloodier and harsher.

During the French Revolution, I could almost smell and taste the blood that ran freely down the streets in a crimson tide for weeks. Hear screams and pleading and begging just as the guillotine was about to fall. Then--'thunk.' No more screaming. Only silence. Silence for so many seconds--Hours? Days? Years? ... And then came the inevitable cheering of the crowd. I wish I could have joined them, in the reveling for the deaths of the people that they hated so _very much._

But... Trapped. And still, in so many ways... Trapped. Locked away in darkness and oblivion. A night-enshrouded prison cell. (Ra, how I hate this. Hate this all...)

I liked the guillotine. It was bloodier than most other weapons. It was my favorite weapon then...and still is now, so many years later.

My other favorite period was the Middle Ages. Battles and wars and so much bloodshed. I could almost feel the thundering of great armies converging upon one another. Could almost feel it as the warm blood splattered against me. Could almost taste it, a sweet and coppery taste that would fill up my mouth, but cause me to choke and gag as I swallowed. 

Still trapped in the Sennen Ring, though. Always and always and always--still trapped in the Sennen Ring. No freedom to rejoice in what I do best: Killing and thieving and sending others to the Shadow Realm. No freedom to be who I truly am.

...

However, the Renaissance and the Reformation were the most interesting for me.

During those two periods of history, I learned... 'Morality.' You can just hear the curl of my lip, can't you? See sharpened canines glint white-ly in the ever-constant predawn light that is _my_ Soul Room. Ra, how I hated the Reformation and the Renaissance with a passion. 'Rebirth,' my ass.

The only purpose that they served was to tell people what was right and what wasn't. To promote 'morality' and 'righteousness.' What the hell are those, anyway? Tell me--what is morality? What is righteousness? If you ask me, they all depend on each person. Certainly what I defined (and still define) as 'moral' didn't exactly go over at all very well with many of the 'righteous' people. Heh. Liked to see how THEY would have reacted (most definitely not with 'morality' and 'righteousness') when they came face to face with Anubis and Osiris when they died. My, my, my. They would have left morality far behind _then._

Ra, how I hated it all. 

Hate, hate, hate.

The Industrial Revolution was alright, though. I mean--new innovations to science and to technology. (Not to mention morality and religion took a step backwards during this time. Capitalism is a wonderful thing, don't you think?) More than that, though, was Social Darwinism. Darwinism. Theory of Evolution. 

I first heard about it when the Ring was in England. Whispers during parties, sneerings during afternoon visits in parlors, shifting looks, incredulous expressions, and raised voices. 'Of course it isn't possible! Of course! You are mad, Darwin! Simply mad and ludicrous--all of this is!' Pompous little bastards. Fools. All dressed up in the coat tails, their starched shirts; they were aristocrats, so of course they knew what was right and what was wrong. Like I said--Fools. Darwin knew many, many things--things that I can most definitely agree with. But most other people couldn't. Not at that period. For the most part, not even today.

Evolution occurs because it's survival of the fittest.

The strongest survive and the weak die out.

It's true, though. It's been shown all throughout history: All of the strong civilizations have gone out and conquered the weaker ones. The weaker civilizations have caved underneath that pressure and have either disappeared completely or have merged with the conquering civilizations. Egypt, Rome, China, England, Spain, Portugal, the Arab nations, the Crusades--have any of these struck a bell? These civilizations (true, the Crusaders came from all parts of Europe; but you can consider their European-ness _as_ part of a greater civilization) were bloody and ruthless--that's why they went out and conquered. And, for the most part, they ruled. 

Until they were taken over by someone stronger, that is.

Like Darwin said: Survival of the fittest.

Everyone--every country, civilization, every _people_--have a breaking point. When that person reaches that breaking point, there is no turning back. No going back to reassemble what glory they once had achieved; no going back for revenge, for conquest, for blood and war and hatred. No going back at all. Just... Laying there, not moving, knowing that you're broken and defeated and _there's no point in fighting anymore._

But you HAVE to fight back because it's instinctive. That's why so many cultures fought back when they knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were defeated, even as their enemies were marching down upon them from just a few feet away. They knew. They knew that they were all dead. They were all dead, now and forever. Morality didn't matter much then, now did it?

Survival of the fittest.

The need to fight, even as you die.

I survive because I have nothing left. I survive because there's something deep within me that tells me TO fight. To claw and bite and kill and kill and kill. A need and a yearning to survive above all others. A yearning to fulfill all of my baser needs--food, sleep, sex; a need to keep and maintain my _life._ (If you could even call it that now...)

Animal instinct.

People who don't even listen to their own animal instinct often either die or are broken. I listened, and though I'm broken, I'm not dead. Nope. In fact, life is pretty good right now. I have a body to live through, my yami powers have returned, and I'm NOT trapped in the Sennen Ring anymore. True, I had to be broken before I could become what I am now--but what does that even matter? I still have that need to survive above all else. 

Pharaoh's broken. In fact, he's more than broken. He's shattered, all crumbled into little bits and pieces of his former self. Thing is--he doesn't know that he's shattered because he can't even remember who he once was. To him--he's somewhat whole. But how can a person be whole if they can't even remember who they once were? The truth: They can't.

Each shattered piece of him is a reflection of who he once was, who he might have been. But it all doesn't matter anymore because it's impossible to resemble those pieces and make him whole again. Pieces are too small to fit back into their original places; some pieces are no longer there, faded through time and pain. And now he's like his other self: He has a sense of righteousness and 'morality.' He'll be one of the first to die. He and his other self.

After all, a shattered person no longer has the survival need programmed into him.

Too bad. Too damn bad.

  
  


I want to live because I don't want to die. Above all, I have that need to survive, to survive _above all others._ I don't particularly care who goes down under me, just as long as I come up on top. I won't let anyone stand in my way. Survival of the fittest, after all.

Animal instinct, after all.

  
  


* * *

  
  


/Yami???/ I can feel yadonushi's horror seep from his own Soul Room into my own consciousness. I wish he'd just go away. This isn't any of his business. None of his damn business.

//Go away, yadonushi,// I snarl back as I slash out once again. The knife gleams dully in the light provided by the street lamps. It gleams dully--but it's actually very, very sharp. As this stupid mortal is finding out right now.

His horror is rising. He wants to cry--cry and cry and cry. Yadonushi is a sentimental fool. Much like the Pharaoh and his other self; he knows that he's sentimental, too. And he doesn't care. More the fool he.

The mortal--his name? Does he even have a name? Do I even care?--whimpers in fear and begs for me to let him go. He's crying--sniveling and begging and pleading. Tears are streaming down his face to mix with the river of blood on the cement. He's offering to do anything for me..._if I just let him go._

"Please... Please let me go. I didn't know--I didn't know. I don't want to know. All I want is to be left alone. I didn't mean for this to happen. Please let me go. Please let me go. Please please please please please please please please...."

Why?

Why should I let him go?

I mean, seriously. All he'll do is heal. And once he's healed, he'll probably either try to hunt yadonushi down and either kill or hurt him; or he'll just try and rob another helpless person taking a walk at night. He's a threat---and you should always take out the threats to your own personal well-being. Well, mine and yadonushi's. But mostly mine. 

So I ask him this out loud.

"Why?" I ask in a sort of detached sort of manner. "Why should I spare you? Why should I even care? You were going to rob me tonight--either hurt me or kill me afterwards." I shrug nonchalantly. I didn't really care one way or another how he would answer. "So then why should I spare your life? After all, it IS survival of the fittest. You just chose the wrong victim."

I smile, showing off my pointed canines for the very first time, and I know that my eyes are glowing red with an inner demonic light.

Most people find it disturbing. My would-be attacker screams in terror, his cries echoing off of the alley's brick walls. I wish that he would just shut up. So I make him shut up. Much better now. Too bad he doesn't have a tongue to use anymore.

Yadonushi's horror is increasing even higher, on the brink and almost completely consuming him. I _did_ tell him to go away, after all.

My grin widens and I pick up the man by his shirt collar. I'm much stronger than I look, aren't I, stupid mortal? "The strongest survive, always," I hiss. "Never forget that."

The night turns darker, blacker than black. Obsidian.

Hmmm... I wonder how long he'll last in the Shadow Realm? I know that Man-Eater Bug has been on the prowl lately, I think to myself as I retreat back to my Soul Room, finally giving control over to yadonushi.

Distantly, I can hear him being completely and thoroughly sick, wiping his blood-covered hands on his jean pants in horror-filled disgust. He'll dream of this tonight--dreams full of blood and flesh and evil laughter filling the night. He always does. And I know that he always will. Doesn't matter, anyway, just as long as I--and yadonushi--survive. In the end, that's all that matters.

/Yami... Why did you do that??/ His horror has gone down a little bit since I sent that man to the Shadow Realm, since he was so thoroughly sick, but his mental voice is still hoarse. Why? I've done this so many times before--why is it still hoarse after so very many times??? /Why do you kill, Yami...?/

The only thing that I can do is shrug at him. He's asked me this before. Every single time, he asks me this. I never really answer, but this time... It's time for him to understand. He _needs_ to understand it now. //Because.//

/Because...WHY???/

I smile at him and I can see his shiver. Poor, poor morality-filled, righteous yadonushi. Will you, too, give up your life to help another? Poor, poor foolish yadonushi. Foolish mortal. In the end, you're dead. //Because all that matters in the end is the will and the need to fight. All that matters is the animal instinct and the need and the lust to survive--survival of the fittest is all that matters.//

/But... We're more than animals, Yami. We're _people._/

I shake my head at him and laugh. //No, that's where you're wrong. We have animal instincts, just like any other animal on this planet.// I pause for a minute and think. //Well, except for the dodo bird.// A shrug. //And they're all dead now, extinct because they didn't HAVE the need to survive programmed into them. When it all comes down to it, yadonushi: It's kill or be killed.//

Animal instinct.

Survival of the fittest.

Natural selection.

After all, in the end: We're all animals.

  
  
  
  


~Owari~ 

  
  



	2. Human

Animal Instinct  
By: Neko-chan

  
A/N: Well... this wasn't really supposed to continue, but... I was challenged to write this 'sequel,' of sorts. So, with that said, this one is for you, DruidessQueen. ^_^  
~Ryou Bakura POV  
~PG to PG-13  
~Angst/Psychological/Philosophical (somewhat, anyway)   
Summary: With Yami no Bakura as a yami... would Ryou's world view ever change?  
THANKS: To DruidessQueen who challenged me... and for agreeing to be my beta reader.  
DISCLAIMER: *points to previous installment*

* * *

  
I don't care what he says.  
  
Really and truly—I don't.  
  
Humans are more than just animals. We feel, we think, we love, and we have empathy towards others. As much as he wants to deny this, as much as he wants to refuse this—it is all true and no amount of denying these simple facts will ever change them from being true. No matter how much he argues, no matter how sadistic and cruel he can become—he is still a human being and human beings are more than just animals.  
  
We think more and we feel more. We know the passing of time and we _know_ that we will someday die. We love life and would be willing to fight against anything to keep it sacred. We may lose our life in the end, but we still keep true to the belief that all life is sacred and thus all life must be preserved.  
  
Yami says that I'm being naive and optimistic. He says that I know nothing of life or how we really are. Yami says that every single person in this world has a touch of sadistic-ness in them, that they like hurting and bleeding—and that the only reason why they don't submit to that urge more often is because of the very thin mask of humanity that they cling to with deformed and clawed hands.  
  
He's wrong.  
  
We are who we are.  
  
Some people rejoice in killing and bloodletting... but deep down inside, where it all really matters, they feel awful for what they do, don't they? I mean, how could they not? Every single person on this world feels some emotion or another... don't they? Yami says that he feels nothing and that he feels nothing for no one. But couldn't that all be just a lie, a lie to keep others at bay and at a safe distance? It has to be true because one of the major things that separate us from true animals is that we feel for ourselves and for each other.  
  
True, animals can feel emotion, but not at the depth that we, as human beings, feel. Their own emotions pale in comparison to ours, fading into the background while our emotions roar over the land like a berserk forest fire. That is one of the things that make us human, it has to be.  
  
We feel the passing of time, just as we feel emotion. We know that time—months, years, decades, whole lifetimes— have passed before us. We can even record the passing of time so that future generations can look back on it and _see_ for themselves what our lives were like. We know that one day—maybe someday very soon, maybe one day in the far-off future—we will die.  
  
Yami says that there is nothing left for us after death, so why waste our life away hoping for a better existence after we leave? He's wrong. He's so very, very wrong. We have a great many things to look forward to after we die; but those rewards are all the more enriching if we make this existence as wonderful as we can. Helping others and loving others; empathy and life coexisting.  
  
Yami says that I'm a naive fool.  
  
But how could I be so naive if this is how life really is? If this is how life is really supposed to go on as? We are human—not animals. We love and rejoice and we know that we're _better than all of this_.  
  
Yami points out that we're descended from primates. That we are, in essence, the most evolved primate. I reply that sharing DNA has nothing to do with anything. He says that we're still animals. I tell him that we have emotion—they don't. He looks at me for a very long time and then softly says, "But that's not true, yadonushi. I've learned a lot about this world—all through television. Primates show emotion—if you've ever watched gorillas and chimpanzees interact, you'd know this. Oh, yes. Primates DO have emotions."  
  
Well, their emotions aren't as developed as ours. We love and we have _empathy_. How do you know that primates have that?  
  
"How do you know that they don't? We're animals, yadonushi. We feel and we can _empathize_." Why do I feel as if he's mocking me? "Just because we can feel doesn't mean that we aren't animals. We feel pain. Animals feel pain. We feel companionship and affection toward others. Animals feel the same, otherwise why would they gather in groups? Animals have the instinctive need and urge to survive. As do we. So how can you look at me and say that we aren't animals?"  
  
But...  
  
"We kill. Animals kill. How do you argue against that?"  
  
I can feel my eyes widen. I'm speechless and the scariest thing is—_I don't know what to say._ How to argue? How to prove my point if I no longer believe that what I'm saying is completely true??  
  
"We are animals, yadonushi. We hunt. We kill. We hate and we destroy. In fact, looking back on our history—you could even say that animals are more civilized than we are. They never fight over petty things—we never see an animal do what we do. In fact, you could even say that we, human beings, are the deadliest animal on this planet. My, what a depressing thought, isn't it?"  
  
What to say? What to say? What to say? My mouth is dry and my mind is blank. How to argue against all of these points? How to disprove ALL of them? My beliefs aren't wrong—they're right; I just know it. They have to be right because... if they aren't, what am _I_ to do? What about basic human kindness? What about love? It can't all be like he says. I know that he's wrong, I just _know_ it. There's more to life than just killing and trying to survive. There are so many things to look forward to, that separate us from animals.  
  
We're better than all of this.  
  
Human beings aren't animals...  
  
...are they?  
  
~Owari~


End file.
